Hublot Reaches Way, Way Back, Builds Antikythera Device For The Wrist

This week, Hublot revealed the movement that will power their much anticipated Antikythera watch, Caliber 2033-CH01. You're probably pretty familiar with Hublot, but this Antikythera device is another story that begins in the 1st Century with a ship wreck off the coast of Crete. What's an Antikythera device? That's a question no one has been able to answer accurately until the 21st century.

The Antikythera mechanism was first discovered in 1901, but remained largely misunderstood due to the technical limitations of those tasked with researching the find. It wasn't until relatively recently that scientists began to grasp the true complexity of the device. State of the art X-rays revealed a plethora of internal gear trains hidden within, along with Greek text on the outer case that is believed to be an instruction manual. Hublot likens the machine to a cosmograph, in that it describes the movement in the cosmos. However, the cycles that the ancient Greeks sought to measure are quite different from anything we are accustomed to measuring, such the Metonic cycle (19 years), the Callippic cycle (76 years) and the Exeligmos cycle, which served to predict eclipses.

The complication of the device is a testament to the scholars and engineers of Antiquity, and it is their conceptual abilities that Hublot seeks to honor by building their own Antikythera device. Director of Manufacturing and R&D at Hublot, Mathias Buffet, leads the vision of this miniature recreation, and has added some decisively modern touches along the way.

Hublot's device remains faithful to the original in that it retains each complication utilizing the space on both the front and the back. In addition, a conventional time telling function has been added, along with a tourbillon escapement, bringing the device up to modern sensibilities.

The full watch will be presented at Baselworld this upcoming Spring, at which point we'll bring you live coverage and images. Until then, enjoy these videos from Hublot and learn more about the Antikythera mechanism right here.